Familiar
by AkaiNagi
Summary: A missing scene. How did Glitch know DG's name, anyway?


Familiar  
Author: Akainagi  
Rating: G  
Series: Tin Man  
Characters: DG/Glitch

Back there in the cage DG had thought the man who called himself Glitch to be something of a jerk. He had been dripping with sarcasm and had the balls to tell her, within minutes of meeting her, that she wasn't much to look at. Mind you this was a man who had a zipper in the middle of his head, whose clothes looked like they had been put through a shredder, and whose hair looked like it hadn't seen a comb since …well, never.

Once they got out of the cage, however, he became a completely different person. Loquacious, almost too cheery, and with a self-deprecating, slightly bent sense of humor, he would make a decent travelling companion, were she not so overwhelmed with concern for her parents.

But even through Glitch's chattering and her own worry, a nagging question kept poking away at her brain.

Glitch was in the middle of telling her for the third time (he had forgotten the first two) how he had come to be a prisoner of the, as he called them, anklebiters, when DG interrupted him.

"What? Was I glitching again?" he asked with an anxious look on his face.

DG felt sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to not be able to trust your memory or the words that were coming out of your mouth. "No … well kinda. You kinda told me that story two times already.

A crestfallen expression came across his face. "I'm sorry. I'm always doing that."

"Don't worry about it," DG said honestly. "But I wanted to ask you something. Back there in the cage, you called me DG."

"Yeah. That's your name. At least think that's your name. Is that your name, or am I glitching again?"

DG shook her head. "No, that's my name. But …. how did you know it? I never told you my name."

Glitch frowned, trying hard to concentrate. "Maybe I heard it from the anklebiters?"

"Nope," DG answered. "They never used my name. They just called my 'spy.'"

"Maybe we've met before." He looked excited at the prospect. "Have we met before? Do you know who I am?"

How sad that he had to ask a stranger who he was. "No, we've never met before. I'm not even from the O.Z.. Never even been here before."

"Oh." Glitch looked disappointed. "I guess I don't know how I know your name then."

They walked in silence for a while (it was taking a hell of a long time to get to this road), both of them lost in their own thoughts. Then Glitch piped up again.

"Hey, did I tell you the story of how I ended up in that cage?"

DG sighed. "Two and a half times already."

"Oh. Well I'm certainly glad you came along. Otherwise I might still have been trussed up there when the Longcoats showed up. I guess I owe you one." He grinned. "That was a pretty daring escape though. I thought for sure you were going to fall. You were always doing things like that. Used to scare the daylights out of me when you … wait. I thought I didn't know you." His brisk walk slowed to a stop.

"You don't know me, remember. I've never been to the O.Z. before," DG insisted.

Glitch clenched his fists in frustration. "But, I _remember_ things. I remember _saying_ things. 'DG, get down from that tree. DG your mother will be mad at you. DG that's dangerous. DG don't worry me so.' How can I remember these things if I don't know you?"

He seemed so distressed. DG wished she could give him an answer. "I don't know. Maybe your mind is making them up?"

Glitch shook his head. "No, my mind forgets things. It doesn't make things up."

"Or maybe I remind you of someone you used to know. Because I know we've never met before. We're from two different worlds. How can we have met before?"

Glitch sighed and started walking again. DG followed. "I don't know," Glitch replied frustratedly.

They walked up a small hill, and to DG's dismay, when they reached the top, there was still no brick road in sight.

"Are you sure you know the way to Central City?" she asked.

"The shining city on the hill? Sure! The shining city on the hill? Sure! The shining city on the-"

"You're glitching," she interrupted.

She had a feeling this was going to be a long trip.


End file.
